


The Hopeful Portrait

by PanicFOB



Series: The Harder They Fall [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, F/M, Small Steve Rogers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 17:06:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20979383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: There's something Steve's been wanting to do for a while now, but he's not sure how he wants to do it. This takes place after my The Harder They Fall series, so please go read that first if you haven't already.





	The Hopeful Portrait

Bucky told him that he’d have to really wine and dine her, like he would back in the day when he was trying to convince a gal to go steady with him. His best clothes. Fancy dinner. Slow dancing. Soft music playing in a crowded room. Cigarette smoke creating a haze throughout the place, though Steve remembered that indoor smoking was no longer allowed these days. Bucky told him to woo her, to show her more romance than she would have ever felt before.

But it didn’t feel right to do it that way.

Sam told him to cook for her. He insisted that the most romantic thing a man could ever do for a woman was cook her a decadent meal complete with wine and dessert. He said it would show her just how much Steve really cared. Win her over with homemade ricotta, Sam told him. Impress her taste buds, impress her heart.

But Steve had always been a terrible cook.

Peter told him to put on an extravagant display. Balloons, confetti, and air horns. A grand gesture. The cork being popped off of a champagne bottle. Everyone that both of them loved present to watch the entire thing as it unfolded. Shout your love for her, Peter told him. Women love it when a man goes out of his way to celebrate them.

But Steve wasn’t so sure that Y/N would love that. She rarely liked being the center of attention. He knew that she always felt more comfortable hiding in the shadows.

Bruce told him that it really didn’t matter how he did it. Y/N had likely already made up her mind over how she felt about Steve, and asking her this question in any special way would not convince her to say yes if she had already planned to say no. Romantic gestures were overrated, Bruce told him. Honesty and vulnerability were what was important.

But Steve wanted to make her feel special.

Wanda’s advice was the only one that Steve actually considered. She told him to make it personal and sentimental. Do it in a way that connected to an important moment in their relationship. A first date. A favorite place. A special song. Something that would remind her of their happiest moments together. If she’s thinking about their relationship at it’s best, Wanda told him, there’s no way she will say no.

Steve considered the drive-in theatre. He thought about the silly Fortune Teller’s shop. He thought about Central Park. Hell, he even considered doing it in the tower’s gym because that was where they had first met. He thought about doing it in the auction hall, a place that had held many more wonderful auctions since that first one. A place where he and Y/N had danced together now at least a hundred times.

And then Steve’s mind landed on the studio. That was where their friendship had blossomed. That was where they spent the majority of their free time together. That was where they had made love for the first time. That was where Y/N was often his inspiration, his muse. Even when Steve was in his studio alone, her presence remained. It was why he ended up drawing and painting and sculpting her far more than anyone or anything else.

The studio reminded Steve of frustrating days where the woman would never stop encouraging him to paint despite it still be the hardest art form for him to master. They would order any variety of takeout as they planned more auctions and meticulously selected which new pieces Steve would sell. They would get messy in that room, throwing paints at each other or trying to reenact the cheesy pottery scene from Ghost and failing miserably. Sometimes, Y/N would watch him painting for so long that the next time he’d glance back at her she’d be draped across a workbench sound asleep.

The studio was their solace. Where Y/N could get away from being an Avenger. Where they could hide out together as Peter and Bucky stormed around the tower in one of their weekly fights. This was where Steve could talk to her about how much he missed Tony and Natasha. Although it wasn’t their living quarters, the studio was their home.

Now, Steve simply needed a plan of action. When most of the team was gone overseas for a three-day mission, he got out a fresh canvas, the biggest one he could find, and began to paint. Steve barely left the studio for the entirety of those three days. He painted until his hands cramped so bad that he couldn’t go on any longer. And then he would stop for just long enough to grab a bite and pass out on the bed that always felt too empty without Y/N. He would wake up the next morning and paint some more.

Eventually, the entire four by six foot surface was covered by a beautiful image. Steve had just enough time to clean the studio up and grab a quick shower before the team was set to return to the tower. He made sure he was waiting for them at the landing pad when they arrived.

Y/N gave him just as big of an “I missed you” hug and kiss as she always did. Steve asked how the mission went, and Sam and Bucky filled him in on all the details.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Y/N told him as they made their way to the elevator.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple. “I’m sorry, doll. We can nap together all day if you want. I was wondering, though, if you’d want to see the new piece I worked on while you guys were gone. It’ll just be a quick stop by the studio before we go to bed.”

“Of course, Steve. You know how much I enjoy getting to be the first one to see your new pieces.”

He led her there, opening the door and flicking on the light switch, and then he walked over to the large canvas and as she stood before it, he slowly pulled away the cover. He stepped out of the way, standing behind her as she observed the new portrait of herself. It was a larger than life painting, capturing her top half from her head down to her belly button. She was wearing the same thing she’d worn on their first date. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and the fingers of her left hand were on full display.

“It’s beautiful Steve… but um… why did you paint me wearing a ring?”

When she turned to look at him, he was prepared for it. He had already gotten down on one knee, the very same ring he had portrayed in the artwork was now on real-life display to her in his hands. “I guess I was feeling a little hopeful when I painted it.”

When he told his friends how it happened, he said that he had wood her. He said it had been an impressive, grand gesture. He said that it had been romantic and honest and vulnerable and sentimental. He said he had done it his way. A way that Steve had known all along would guarantee him a yes. Y/N stood next to him as they told their friends, holding her left hand up proudly with the glimmering ring on full display.


End file.
